Automatic control system for feedback turbines



R. J. COAR Oct. 27, 1953 AUTOMATIC CONTROL SYSTEM FOR FEEDBACK TURBINES Filed Dec. 30, 1949 F'IG.2

- INVENTOR RICHARD J. coAR ATTORNEY aesacvt 3 is controlled by the rate of flow of fluid into the coupling.

A second supply of fluid, preferably also from the engine-driven pump, is admitted to the coupling through conduit 32 and bore 84 in sleeve 86 carried within shaft 11. Sleeve 86 separates the fluid supply in bore 18 from the supply in bore 84. From bore 84 the fluid passes through openings 88 and 90 in the sleeve and shaft, respectively, and into the coupling through port 92 in slip-sensitive valve 94. A valve of this type is fully disposed and described in Hobbs et al. Patent No. 2,400,307, dated May 14, 1946, for Variable Speed Drive.

During part-throttle operation the valve 66 is maintained against the stop 66 by the force of spring 62 and servo-decrease pressure in line 68. The valve will remain in this position until the servo-piston 50 has reached its limit of travel in an upward direction, the throttle 44 then being fully opened. During such operation the coupling i4 is supplied with fluid through conduit 12, the flow through port ll not being restricted and the turbine energy in excess of that required to drive the impeller 26 will be fed back into the engine I through the coupling i l.

After full throttle has been reached and there is a demand for further engine supercharging, servo-increase pressure from line 58 will, since the piston 50 has reached its limit of travel, cause the valve 60 to start moving in a direction to restrict port N. This reduces the fluid supply to the coupling I4 and a proportionately greater amount of the turbine energy is available to drive the impeller 26. The speed of the impeller increases, resulting in an increase in engine supercharging. It is obvious that when full-throttle has been reached and when the fluid supply to the coupling through conduit 72 has been completely shut off, the engine will be receiving the maximum supercharging available. a When turbine energy exceeds that required to maintain the desired engine supercharging, power is being fed back into the engine and coupling impeller '16 is being driven at a faster rate of rotation than coupling runner M due to the slip in the coupling. The action of impeller 16 will cause the slip-sensitive valve 96 to rotate with respect to runner M and shaft Tl sufficiently far to mask opening 90 and cut oii the fluid supply to the coupling through port 92. Pin $8 in element T4 cooperates with a groove Hill in the face of valve 94 to limit the angular displacement of the valve relative to the opening 90.

If at full throttle with port '14 closed, the turbine 30 should become inoperative due to failure of any of the blades 33 or failure of the shaft 34, or if the energy in the exhaust gases in collector 32 is insuiflcient to cause coupling impeller 16 to be driven at a speed equal to or greater than that of runner 14, valve 94 will be displaced angularly with respect to element Hi, bringing port 92 and opening 90 into alignment to admit fluid from bore 84 to the coupling. The presence of fluid within the coupling will result in the supercharger impeller 28 being driven by the engine [0. Thus, an inoperative condition of the turbine 30 does not limit the engine to low powers due to loss of supercharging since a positive supply of fluid to the coupling is provided so that the engine will drive the supercharger impeller when the turbine will not drive it as fast as it would be driven by the engine.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment herein illustrated and described but may be used in other '4 ways without departure from its spirit as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. An improved hydraulic coupling for a feedback turbine installation which includes an internal combustion engine, an impeller, a turbine driving said impeller, said coupling connecting the engine to the impeller and the turbine and having the feature of two independent oil supply means including means for proportioning turbine energy between said impeller and said engine and means for driving said impeller by said engine when said turbine will not drive said impeller faster than it would be driven by said engine.

2. An improved hydraulic coupling for a feedback turbine installation which includes an internal combustion engine, an impeller for supercharging said engine and a turbine for driving said impeller, said coupling connecting the engine to the impeller and the turbine and having the feature of two independent oil supplies, the first supply being regulated as a function of supercharging requirement, and a slip-sensitive valve in said coupling, said valve admitting fluid from the second supply when impeller speed is less than it would be if driven by said engine.

3. An improved hydraulic coupling for a feedback turbine installation which includes an internal combustion engine, an impeller for supercharging said engine, a turbine driven by the exhaust gases from said engine for driving said impeller, a throttle control, said coupling connecting the engine to the impeller and the turbine and having the feature of two independent fluid supplies and a slip-sensitive valve, the first supply being controlled by said throttle control and the second supply being controlled by the slipsensitive valve.

e. An improved hydraulic coupling for a feedback turbine installation which includes an internal combustion engine, an impeller for supercharging said engine, a turbine driven by the exhaust gases from said engine for driving said impeller, a throttle control, a fluid supply to said coupling controlled by said throttle control, said coupling connecting the engine to the impeller and the turbine and having the feature of a fluid supply independent of said throttle controlled supply, and a slip-sensitive valve for admitting fluid from said independent supply to said coupling when said engine will drive said impeller faster than it is being driven by said turbine.

5. An improved hydraulic coupling for a feedback turbine installation which includes an internal combustion engine, an impeller for supercharging said engine, a turbine driven by the exhaust gases from said engine for driving said impeller, the coupling connecting the engine to the impeller and the turbine, a throttle upstream of said impeller, a throttle control, a fluid supply to said coupling, a valve associated with said throttle control for controlling said fluid supply, said valve reducing said fluid supply to said coupling in response to an increase in supercharging requirements after said throttle is fully opened, said coupling having the feature of a second fluid supply independent of said throttle controlled supply, and means for admitting fluid haust gases from said engine for driving said impeller, a throttle control regulating air flow to said impeller, a fluid supply to said coupling controlled by said throttle control, said coupling having an impeller connected to said turbine and a runner connected to said engine, a fluid supply independent of said throttle controlled supply, and a slip-sensitive valve which shuts ofi said independent fluid supply to said coupling when coupling impeller speed exceeds coupling runner 10 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Lieberherr Mar. 31, 1942 Hobbs et a1 May 14, 1946 Birkigt June 25, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Jan. 6, 1947 

